'Beautiful' CL offers Arsenal chance to salvage season

LONDON — Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is hoping the glamor of the Champions League can galvanize his injury-ravaged squad from its Premier League funk.

The Gunners' dream of a first league title in 21 years appears over after falling 13 points behind runaway leader Liverpool.

Conquering Europe for the first time now appears its only chance of ending a five-year trophy drought and a kind last-16 draw with PSV Eindhoven could buy Arteta time to get some of his key attackers back.

Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus have been ruled out for the rest of the season with serious hamstring and knee injuries respectively.

But Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli could return for the quarterfinals next month should Arsenal progress.

The absence of all four forwards has been keenly felt as Arsenal failed to score in its last two Premier League games against West Ham and Nottingham Forest to realistically end its title aspirations.

Midfielder Mikel Merino has deputized as a makeshift striker, while Arteta has been forced to rely on teenager Ethan Nwaneri in Saka's normal wide right role.

"I know that what's lacking is that piece up there," said Arteta. "There's a lot to play for and we need to find the solution to unlock it.

"We have the Champions League, we have a beautiful competition in front of us and we have to ready for Tuesday."

A lack of creativity as well as cutting edge in the final third has been a common occurrence all season for Arsenal.

The visitor managed just one shot on target in a 0-0 draw at Forest last week, the ninth time this season it has failed to score in a match.

Captain Martin Odegaard has struggled to hit the heights of the previous two seasons since recovering from an ankle injury that kept him out for two months earlier in the campaign.

Arteta has been one of many managers hit by mounting injury problems to point to the strain a congested calendar is putting on the top players.

"He came back in such a strong way and performed at a very, very high level," said the Spaniard on Odegaard's inconsistent form.

"Then just sustaining that over a period of time, like we are demanding the players to do constantly, especially the creative players, is very difficult."

But Arsenal's early exit from the FA Cup ensured Arteta's men have had six days to prepare for the trip to the Netherlands.

And without the luxury of a free-flowing attack, they can at least lean on the Premier League's meanest defense and one of the best in the Champions League so far this season.

Only Inter Milan conceded fewer than Arsenal's three goals in the eight-game league phase, that included clean sheets against Paris Saint-Germain and Atalanta.

PSV boss Peter Bosz was left impressed by Arsenal's defensive strength when the visitor was humbled 4-0 at the Emirates in last season's Champions League group stage.

"As soon as we got to their box, (the attack) was over. How is that possible?" Bosz said at the time.

The Dutch champion's own domestic struggles offer more encouragement for the Londoners.

PSV has been beaten twice by Go Ahead Eagles in the past week and is winless in four league games either side of a memorable 3-1 victory over Juventus to make the last 16.

Despite its struggle for goals, Arsenal will expect to make the last eight and hope that Saka and Martinelli can add the much-needed firepower for a quarterfinal showdown with Real or Atletico Madrid.

AFP